University of Central Oklahoma Suspends Cheerleading Team Over Hazing Allegations

The suspension of the cheerleaders will be in effect through the end of the school year, and the team won’t be allowed to participate in national competitions for two years.

University of Central Oklahoma Suspends Cheerleading Team Over Hazing Allegations

Edmond, Oklahoma – Claims of hazing have prompted the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) to suspend its cheerleading team.

UCO President Patti Neuhold-Ravikumar didn’t provide details of the alleged hazing in an email but said the campus immediately investigated the claims and that hazing will not be tolerated by the school, reports 6ABC.

Neuhold-Ravikumar said that the campus approaches reports of hazing “swiftly and with great concern,” reports KOCO

The suspension of the cheerleaders will be in effect through the end of the school year, and the team won’t be allowed to participate in national competitions for two years.

In her email, Neuhold-Ravikumar described the alleged hazing activities as “unacceptable and abhorrent.” Team members found responsible for the hazing could face sanctions by the school, including removal from the team and suspension from UCO. She also vowed to require the cheerleaders and the leadership of all student organizations to be trained on hazing and bystander intervention.

Additionally, members of the cheerleading team who aren’t found responsible for the hazing will need to “undergo a membership review process and may be given the opportunity to try out for next year’s team,” the school president said.

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Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.

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